STOCKTON - The governing board of the San Joaquin County Mosquito and Vector Control District voted at its most recent meeting Tuesday that its members should continue to receive health care benefits.

The vote reaffirmed the 2009 resolution the Board of Trustees to receive the same health plan as the district's employees. It was a decision that drew criticism from the San Joaquin Taxpayer's Association, which questioned whether the trustees should receive the benefit at all.

The board meets once a month, and members receive $100 in compensation. Trustees have said they must spend time outside meetings on their responsibilities.

After the taxpayer group raised its concerns, the trustees revisited the issue at their November meeting. They did not vote, but the directed staff to draw up the costs of the benefit.

The policy allows for the trustees and employees to have the district to pay up to 100 percent of the premium for the Kaiser health care plan and up to 92 percent for those with family coverage. If the trustees or employees opt for a more expensive plan, they must pay the difference themselves.

The projected cost for the six members of the 11-member board who receive the benefits is about $66,000 in 2013, or about $5,500 a month, according to a staff report. That total includes dental and vision coverage. It works out to about $11,000 per trustee for the year.

That's compared to the projected $659,000 cost to the district to provide health care to all its employees, retirees and trustees for the year.

The Board of Trustees is filled by appointment by local governments. Four members are appointed by the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors, and each of the county's seven cities has one appointee.

The vote to maintain the benefit for the trustees was unanimous, according to the district.